Bargain Free-Agents Browns Must Target
The Cleveland Browns are facing a potentially difficult situation at running back.
Nick Chubb is still on the mend from his significant leg injury suffered at the start of last season.
The Browns have a platoon of Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines currently on their roster, but there may be a concern that the trio will not be good enough.
Ford will be the lead rusher to begin the season, but the depth behind is not perfect and that could affect how the Browns offense operates.
Cleveland will likely stick with its current players at running back and other positions of concern, but there are some veteran free agents who could be available at a cheap price.
Dalvin Cook
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The Browns running depth chart does not look great at the moment.
Chubb is in the middle of his long-term recovery, Foreman is dealing with a neck issue and Hines is on the active/non-football injury list.
Ford is the only 100 percent healthy running back of the top four players on the depth chart at the moment.
ESPN.com's Dan Graziano detailed what the Browns expect from Chubb's recovery in his trip to the team's training camp.
"A significant knee injury in Week 2 ended Chubb's 2023 season and required multiple surgeries to repair, and he opened camp on the physically unable to perform list and isn't likely to be ready for the start of the season. But the Browns are encouraged by the way his rehab is going and believe with certainty that he will play at some point this season."
The Browns will not have a healthy Chubb for quite some time, and if one of the other backups is unavailable, they need to land a veteran running back, like Dalvin Cook, to at least have another back with starting experience.
Cook is near the end of his NFL career, but he can at least bring some power to the Browns' rushing attack to help with replacing Chubb.
Jerick McKinnon
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The Browns have Hines on the roster to be a third-down and red-zone pass-catcher, but his current status is not exactly promising.
The team does not know if Hines can regain his form after missing the last year with a serious leg injury.
Jerick McKinnon would fit the Hines role even better than Hines would inside the Browns offense.
McKinnon was Kansas City's top pass-catching back over the last few years and he could be a vital asset to Cleveland's offense if he signed.
Cleveland can't let Ford do everything out of the backfield and Foreman hasn't been a major pass-catcher out of the backfield in his NFL career.
The Browns might be wise to move on from Hines anyway to sign a better person for the third-down back role.
Donovan Smith
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The Browns could use a bit of insurance on the offensive line.
Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin are both expected to be ready for the regular season, but each starter missed time in 2023 with injuries.
Donovan Smith is one of the better offensive tackles available on the free-agent market and he might be worth a look from the Browns.
Cleveland may not need Smith in a few weeks if Wills and Conklin are back in starting-caliber form, but right now, the Browns should explore all of their options in case a setback occurs so that they can properly protect Deshaun Watson starting in Week 1.
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